S’pore & Indonesia conclude counter-terrorism exercise

There is a situation out at sea: terrorists have taken over a commercial vessel and the crew has been held hostage.

Special operations units from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and Indonesian National Defence Forces (TNI) spring into action – inserting by sea and by air, they storm the vessel of interest (VOI) and work hand-in-hand to neutralise the threat. 

This was the scenario put to the test at Exercise Griffin Cakti, a bilateral counter-terrorism exercise between the SAF and TNI.

From 2 to 4 Jun, about 80 personnel from the SAF Special Operations Task Force (SOTF) and Maritime Security Task Force (MSTF) as well as about 80 from the TNI Special Forces worked together in a series of counter-terrorism scenarios off the waters of Batam, Indonesia.

This year’s edition comprised elements from naval, air, cyber and special operations units, with an emphasis on maritime security operations.

Through the exercise, both countries’ forces enhanced their mutual understanding of operational procedures and strengthened overall coordination capabilities.

Check out the action here!

Speaking at the closing ceremony on 4 Jun, Deputy Commander SOTF and co-Exercise Director Colonel (COL) Francis Goh said: “(The exercise) enhances our interoperability between our two armed forces, and enable us to work together in addressing maritime threats in our region.

“The close collaboration between the special operations units of both SAF and TNI highlights the professionalism, readiness, and capabilities of both our armed forces, and importantly, to respond decisively to complex maritime threats in our region."

Chief of Defence Force Vice Admiral (VADM) Aaron Beng, who co-officiated the closing ceremony with Commander-in-Chief of the TNI General Agus Subiyanto, noted that terrorism remains a critical and shared security threat to both nations.

“We are close neighbours and close cooperation allows us to better respond to this threat. Today’s exercise is part of our shared commitment to continue to build interoperability between our armed forces.”

He added: “We are very satisfied with the conduct of the counter-terrorism field training exercise and we are discussing further opportunities to deepen and strengthen our defence ties.”